Off to the Races: A Josh Hutcherson FanFic
by norcallovely17
Summary: Val moves to LA with her best friend after getting a new job, and she soon runs into a "friend" she met clubbing a couple of months earlier. Josh Hutcherson/OC, Rated M for future content.
1. Chapter 1

**This is the first story I've ever written, so please be kind! HUGE fan of JHutch, so very excited to write this :] More of a prequel, actual story coming up soon! And naughty goodness, of course!**

"Val, are we there yet?" Ana grumbled to me from the passenger seat. It was about 4 in the morning, and we had been driving for about 6 hours already. Earlier, we were sitting on my bed in my room, eating mini pizzas. She always made them whenever she came over. My mom knew that I didn't eat them much anymore, but bought them any way, just for Ana. She had gotten so comfortable with us and our house that she went straight for the freezer whenever she came over. Anyway, she was eating mini pizzas and I was reading the latest book that I was enthralled with, Fahrenheit 451. Ana suddenly gasped and jumped up on the bed and shoved her face in mine.

"I just got THE BEST idea. What're you doing this weekend?" she questioned me, a mischievous look on her face.

"Nothing, you know I'm not scheduled for work this weekend." I was currently working at a pizza shop owned by a family in a church that my mom and I had been going to since I was a little girl. It wasn't where I wanted to be, but hey, it was a job.

So less than an hour and a couple of energy drinks later, we found ourselves headed south for Los Angeles. Living in San Francisco, we were scheduled to arrive at her cousin's apartment about 7 hours later. Ana had called her cousin, who was an up and coming model down in LA, and was thrilled to hear that she and I were coming up. She was rambling on and on on the phone about all the cool things we could do while we were down there. Being absolutely stunning apparently had its advantages in a town centered on beauty. Ana's family was Russian, and she had showed me pictures of her before we set off. At 5'11 and probably about 110 pounds, Ana's cousin Elena was built to be a model. But her face, her face had to be where she made her money. With high cheekbones and luscious long hair, and almond shaped eyes that could give you her signature bedroom eyes or shoot daggers to kill. She had definitely made the right career choice. And beauty had absolutely run in the family. Ana was about 5'7", with curly red hair and piercing brown eyes that seemed to look right into your soul. She had an amazing body, which went along perfectly with her unique fashion sense. She always had the right clothes to match her personality, a quality that completely eluded me. And what always got me was her personality. She made friends with everybody, and knew so much about everything. She was crazy smart, had such a way with words and a sense of the universe and people that I could never understand. She never did really complete much school after high school, but it had never been her thing, school. Next to her I saw myself as the complete opposite, which is why I think we got along so well. At 5'7", about as tall as Ana, I had what I thought of as an average body, nothing boys got too excited about. With chest-length blonde hair and blue eyes hidden by my necessary glasses, people just passed me on by. I didn't blame them though; being super shy didn't win me many friends. I was always more comfortable wearing a tee shirt and jeans, and didn't really go out unless I was with Ana. She always brought me out of my shell, and I kept her grounded, giving her a dose of reality whenever she needed it. She always had her head in the clouds, but that's why I looked up to her.

We had just gotten to the beginning of the Grapevine, a notoriously curvy stretch of highway directly north of Los Angeles. I said out loud, more to myself than anyone, "After we get through this it'll be about an hour to your cousin's apartment." Ana was curled up next to me in my red station wagon, also known as Skeeter, or my baby. My mom had gotten this car when I was about 7 and had promised it to me when I turned 16. I had learned to drive in this car, and when it was my time to have my own mode of transportation it was finally passed on down. My baby had been through a lot, and had taken many trips with me to southern California. It wasn't my first time driving through the Grapevine, and I knew it wouldn't be my last.

We finally got to Elena's apartment at around 5 in the morning, and promptly went to sleep, Ana and I sharing her huge couch. I heard Elena get up a little while later; she had school that morning and talked to Ana about plans for later that day. Not needed in the conversation, I lulled back to sleep. At around noon, though, my internal clock went off and I couldn't get back to sleep. Ana filled me in on what Elena had planned for the day: She had class until about 5, then we were going to go out to dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. Afterwards we were going to go to her friends house and "mingle" and get ready to go clubbing later in the evening. "Clubbing?" I questioned. I had never been clubbing before, it wasn't really my scene. "Oh Valerie, Elena told me she could get us into this raging club on Sunset tonight! How cool is that going to be," Ana said to me, her face lighting up. I had to admit, it sounded pretty awesome. I mean, how often can you say you went clubbing in LA like it was no big deal? I guess people in LA do all the time, but this was new territory to me! "Okay, you're right, it does actually sound like a lot of fun! But Ana, I didn't bring anything club-worthy!" Ana shook her head in mock shame. "Oh dear. Well, I suppose it's a good thing we came to the fashion capital of the west coast!" Ana and I giggled together and got ready to go shopping.

We went down to Hollywood Boulevard, and I was totally drawn to a Forever 21 that was right near Kodak Theater. Cheap clothes had always been my calling. After browsing the clothing racks for what seemed like forever, I found the perfect piece to tie my look together. "Ohhhh Valerie, that looks so amazing! You HAVE to try it on! That would be so perfect for tonight!" Ana was always my biggest supporter when it came to clothes. After trying it on, I bought it straightaway, no way was this getting away from me. I was never daring when it came to clothes, but this was pushing my fashion limits, in the best way possible.

It was finally 10 pm, and we were about to grace My House, the club on Sunset, with our presence. Elena had on a tight white mini skirt and a black blazer with a gold tube top underneath. Ana had on one of her signature sundresses with some brown wedges, she could pull it off like no other. And I was next to Ana, with a black skintight tank top tucked into what I had bought at Forever 21 earlier today, a purple glittered mini skirt that clung to my curvy booty like it was holding on for dear life. I had brought some black high heels with me just in case we went out while we were here, and thank God that I did. Elena had some pretty fancy and well off friends who had sprung for bottle service and a lounge right next to the dance floor. The club was in full swing by the time we had gotten there. They were blasting some hip-hop very familiar to me, being from the Bay, so Ana and I flung our purses on the couch area our friends had already occupied at this point and rushed to the middle of the club to dance. A tall, dark, and totally attractive man who was already dancing immediately sought Ana out, and his friend came over to dance behind me. I was already quite buzzed, so his body pressed up against mine wasn't totally unwanted. After a while though, he began to get a little too hand-on for my taste, so I turned around and pushed him off of me. It didn't really take to him though.

"Come on baby," he slurred to me, "I can tell you like it, just a while longer."

"No, thanks for the offer, but I'm thirsty and want to get a drink with my friends over there," I said forcefully while pointing over to our booth area.

"Who said I was done with you yet?" He slurred again, this time grabbing my wrist forcefully. I actually was starting to get a little scared. This guy was at least a foot taller than me it seemed, and easily had about 50 pounds of pure muscle more than I had myself. I turned to him, trying to wriggle my wrist from his gigantic hands.

"Excuse me dude, but I believe the lady said she was done with you" A voice came out of nowhere, speaking to the gigantor who currently held me captive. I turned to him and gasped a little. Okay, a lot, but with good reason. This guy was the definition of gorgeous, a couple inches taller than me and with a jawline seemingly carved with a chisel and hammer. His brown hair was waved naturally and he had on a black button-down dress shirt and jeans that hugged him in all the right places. His eyes were deadlocked on the brute that held my wrist, but he let go when he saw that the stranger meant business.

"Hey dude, I just wanted another dance. She's all yours bro." He shrugged off, but not before he flung my now free wrist at the strangers chest. He caught it with both hands, but didn't let go like I thought he would. Instead he held it with both hands and turned to me.

"You alright? I saw you across the floor with him, and you didn't exactly seem like you were enjoying yourself." He actually looked concerned with me, scrutinizing my face and taking in my body. Taking in my body? This gorgeous specimen in front of me was actually checking me out. Oh, and using words like gorgeous specimen you can see why I have a lot of friends. Not.

"Yeah, I'm actually okay now, thanks to my personal knight in shining armor." I smiled flirtatiously as I leaned into his ear to make sure he heard me over the din of the thumping club music.

"Well why don't we get you back to your posse all safe and sound," He leaned next to my ear as he said this, getting painstakingly close to me, but not close enough. He pulled our still conjoined hands down to his side, holding fast to them. I could tell by his voice that he was smiling, and I just couldn't get enough of it.

"Well, they don't seem to be missing me too much," I said as I looked back to Ana and Elena, who were pouring themselves vodka and grapefruit juice mixers, "But I would sure miss you if you brought me back to them." Where was the usual Valerie and who in the world had come up with these lines to say? I was never this bold, this flirtatious, but I was also never usually this drunk. I knew where the confidence had come from, and its form was purely liquid.

"Well then, we should make this next song count then I suppose," he said as he spun me around and into him in one smooth motion. I then noticed that the song had changed into a new beat, I recognized the artist as Lana del Ray, but this song had a dub step twist to it. I loved it; it was catchy and had a sick bass. My previous years of dancing had come in handy as I swirled my hips against his, I always prided myself on my fluid motions on the dance floor. He took his hands firmly on my hipbones and pressed me into him. I was usually always the one in control on the dance floor, but he obviously knew what he was doing and I loved it. I was getting thirsty and my feet felt like they could fall off at any second but I just didn't care anymore. Sure, the good feeling of the mixed drinks I had earlier were still going strong, but I had decided that I could do this all night as long as it was him behind me. Him. I realized I didn't even know his name. I didn't care about that either though; I didn't want anything to break us apart now that we were moving as one in the middle of the club. What seemed like minutes later, but could've been hours honestly, the waitresses who had been serving us came out with sparklers and danced on the bar and around the dance floor. It seemed like this was the cue that it was the last dance of the night. The beautiful stranger and I continued our rocking and swaying that had been going on for quite a while now, but this time he put his lips to my ear and planted a soft kiss near my cartilage piercing I had done myself about a year earlier.

"Oh girl, you know I could do this all night." I giggled to myself and leaned my head back into his shoulder and reciprocated, "Well my knight, we have been doing this all night." He smiled into my neck and turned me to face him. He started to lean forward, and his eyes drooped a little. I mimicked his actions when I heard a cry of "Valerie O! It's time to go!" Ana had to be the one to bring me back to reality this time, when all I wanted to do was melt into the clouds that held this handsome stranger, my knight in shining armor.

"Well that's me, I've got to go," I sighed to him and leaned back a little to get in full view of his face.

"Alright, if you insist," He said with a playful smile on his lips, "At least let me walk you out with your friends."

"Okay I think I can at least give you that." I started to lead him toward my friends, keeping my fingers intertwined in his. We got outside where the shock of the cold night hit us like a ton of bricks. I stopped, waiting near Ana for a cab to pull up to the side of the club. I shivered; I wasn't properly dressed for the cold of 2 am. The stranger wrapped his arms instinctively around me, stroking the tops of my arms with his huge hands. As our cab pulled up to the curb, I turned to my stranger, who kept his arms around me.

"Well kind stranger, thank you for saving me tonight. And of course for sharing your incredible dancing skills with me, it certainly made my night." We laughed together at my words; my liquid courage was still coursing through my veins.

"It was my pleasure. Let me at least give you my name so you don't have to keep calling me 'your stranger'. It's –" BEEP BEEP BEEP. I turned to the cab to see Ana leaning in the front, pounding on the horn. "COME ON VAL, WE'RE GOING NOW. SAY GOODBYE TO LOVERBOY!" I leaned my face into his shoulder, clearly embarrassed by my best friend's actions.

"Well, duty calls. It was nice meeting you, but I've got to go now. Thank you for a great night!" I shouted the last part as Elena pulled me into the cab and we hurriedly drove away.

"So, who was that? He was a hottie!" Ana was all up in my face once again, inquiring about my knight.

"Ana, I didn't even get his name! Miss-in-a-rush-to-the-after-party cut me off before I could get it! You have only yourself to blame." I smiled when I said the last part, knowing the fake pout that would soon grace her lovely face.

"Oh well, it's not like you'll ever see him again anyways." She gave me a quick face and turned back to the front of the cab. "You're right, of course. I suppose it doesn't matter. It was a really fun night though, thanks Elena!"

Stranger's POV:

I gave a sad smile as I watched her pull away in the cab with her friends. What an enigma! Maybe it was for the best that I wasn't going to see her again, and all I knew was her name: Valerie.

"Yo dude, who the hell was that? I hardly saw you all night, but when I did you were glued that chick!" My friend Andre was at my side, a quizzical look on his face staring down at me.

"I don't know dude, but she was… something." I smiled to myself. What a night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Well! Second chapter is here! They meet again, but under what circumstances? Thanks for reading, if you got this far I must've done something right then!**

**BTW, side note here. I do realize that Josh Hutcherson is actually 5'7", and in the first chapter I accidentally made him taller than my character of the same height. This shall be corrected in future chapters, but for now in the first chapter of my first story, just go with it. Thanks for understanding! And enjoy! :]**

_**5 months later**_

"Rise and shine my sweet baby A! We've got work to go to!" I was never a morning person, but I was way excited for my first day of work. Ana and I had just moved down to LA, in the same complex her cousin lived in as well. Elena lived on her own, but Ana and I couldn't afford the studio apartment by ourselves, so we shared the tiny one bedroom apartment. It was no problem though, we had both grown up in tiny apartments with our family, and so this was nothing new. It was the first time I had had a roommate though, but it being my best friend I didn't think of it as an issue.

"Arggggghhh no I don't wanna."

"But Ana, you're spending your first day alone with Elliott, no more Mommy looking over your shoulder!" Ana had gotten a job as a nanny, and her charge was 19-month-old Elliott, born to Russian immigrants, so the pairing was nothing short of perfect. "I'll make you some coffee. Get your ass out of bed." I said this last part with an audible smile, going to our window and flinging the curtains wide open so the 7am morning sun flooded into our room. Ana chucked a pillow at me as I laughed and scurried to the shower.

I, however, had a much different career path in mind. A couple months ago I had finished up my Emergency Medical Technician training. My ultimate career goal was to become a Paramedic, but I had to be employed for at least 6 months before any medic school would accept me. After I got the job in LA, Ana convinced me to have her come with me, not a very far stretch because LA was always her dream, emergency care was mine. When the two got together it was a match made in heaven.

I got ready, finishing up my shower and drying my hair quickly and putting it up completely out of my face, a company standard at the ambulance service I was hired at. My uniform was nothing to be desired, a loose button up white collared shirt tucked into navy utility pants with a ton of neat pockets. You would probably think I was a guy if not for my boobs sticking out of my chest. I cleaned off my glasses and put them on my face, being without them for even the shortest amount of time left me with a killer headache and I would go cross-eyed. I was totally ready about thirty minutes later, and Ana was up out of bed at least. She was still in her pajamas and had a cup of the coffee I stuck in our new coffee maker in her hand. She looked miserable, but we both had to be up this early so we dealt with it.

I jumped in Skeeter, my red station wagon, and drove to headquarters. I was there 10 minutes before my shift started; my mom said I got the family curse of punctuality. I walked in, surprised at how normal the placed looked. It was like a house, but with a garage big enough to fit a couple of our buses in. I then got to meet my partner, Joe. Joe was a paramedic, and all entry level EMT's were paired with a paramedic. Joe was a really cool guy who had been in emergency medicine for about 6 years, which made him an excellent mentor.

After getting acquainted with Joe and the rest of the team, Joe and I went to our bus, medic slang for ambulance, and stocked and cleaned everything. This was something that had to be done daily, so it was a good idea for me to get used to the layout of the bus because we would be doing this so often. All of a sudden, a call came in to Joe's radio. "Unit 451, this is Dispatch, we've got a TBI and possible MOI for spinal injury. Patient is 19 years of age, male, and immediate attention is required, over."

"Unit 451 responding, and en route, over," Joe responded and bounced up off the back of the bus. "Well congratulations Val, your first call and it's lights and sirens. Do you know what a TBI is?"

"Traumatic brain injury" I recited my textbook-worthy answer.

"Excellent, I knew they wouldn't pair me with a dummy," Joe answered and winked at me. I shot him a shy smile. "So since you don't exactly know your way around to the nearest hospitals, I'll drive and you can stick with the patient in the back. It should be an easy pack and go, just make sure to get all his information on the e-pad I gave you. We went over it already, so you know everything you need to get, right?"

"I'm pretty sure, yeah. You can hear me from the front, right? Just let me know if there's anything I'm missing," I told him with confidence.

"Yep, I got your back kid. Now hop in, we gotta boogie."

I took the passenger seat next to Joe and we were off. Dispatch had plugged in our destination into our GPS on the bus, and I was surprised to see the end result.

"We're heading to a movie lot?"

"Yeah, we get a lot of calls to there actually. The company is privately contracted to a lot of movie sets, since it's cheaper than getting the government buses to hail out to them for every little call. We don't often get lights and sirens calls out there, though, so this is a treat. Speaking of…" Joe flipped on the switch in the bus that operated the lights and sirens that ran on top of it. It was exciting; in my clinicals we didn't get any code 4 calls, which warranted the lights and sirens, so this was my first taste of a real emergency.

We got to the lot in about 5 minutes, and a security guard directed us to the scene; it wasn't too far from there. Joe and I pulled out our purple latex-free gloves and I put them on myself, preparing myself for my first call. I took a look around when we finally slowed down, taking in the scene before we got out of the bus. It was an average movie set to me; it just looked like the end of a cul-de-sac in a suburban neighborhood. The fact that they needed to spend God knows how much money to build their own fake ones were beyond me. I also saw what looked to be the victim. He was dressed in average clothes, though they looked a bit outdated. There was a skate ramp near-by and a skateboard in the middle of the street, he must've tried to take the jump and bailed or something. I made a mental note to ask him more about that when he was on the gurney.

"Alright, folks, what do we have here?" Joe took an authoritative tone to the lay-people; there were a couple of security guards surrounding the guy, obviously the first responders. Joe got their statements and I got the backboard and jump kit out of the back. I brought them over to the guy and knelt by his face, getting a good look at him.

"Hey there, my name's Valerie and I'm an EMT. Would it be okay if I helped you out?" I took a gentle tone with him, trying not to freak him out. I could already see that his head was bleeding a lot, though I new that there were a lot of blood capillaries up there and it probably wasn't as bad as it looked. He nodded his head, and then winced in pain at his actions. I chuckled a little, not being able to help myself. "Okay there, don't get ahead of yourself. I'm going to put this collar around your neck, and you're not going to be able to move it anymore. Don't fight the collar, I know how uncomfortable it is." I strapped the collar around his neck then took his head in my hands, restraining it so he couldn't move his head or neck at all. "Hey Joe, do you want to backboard him?"

"Yeah, I think we should. They told me he tried to take a jump off this ramp on his skateboard and bailed or something at the last second, we should air on the side of caution. Will you grab the O2 out of the back? Give him 6 liters by nasal cannula, that should be enough."

I went back to the bus and grabbed the oxygen tank and prepped it as Joe strapped the victim onto the backboard. We then switched positions as I plugged the O2 into the patient's nose as Joe got the gurney. We lifted him onto the gurney and I pulled him to the back of the bus as Joe gave some people in charge the details of where we were taking him. I strapped the gurney to the ambulance floor and got my e-pad out to start filling out my paperwork.

"Alright, well we've got you all strapped in here and ready to go, I just want to ask you some questions before we get to the hospital. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure" He replied with a shaky voice.

"Okay, excellent start. I know the backboard is super uncomfortable and kind of scary, but we've gotta be safe about it until the doctors can clear you at the hospital. Can you tell me your name?"

"It's Josh, Josh Hutcherson."

"Okay Josh, I'm Val, in case you didn't catch that in the chaos back at the lot. What can you tell me about what happened to you?"

"I was supposed to take that ramp and do a trick on my board, I've practiced and done it a million times before. Something felt off, though, and before I knew it I was on the ground and my head felt like it had been split in half." He recalled this in a confused voice, looking up at the ceiling as if to recall a distant memory.

"Well Josh, I can see that you've got a cut on your head, but my partner Joe seemed to have bandaged that up nice and pretty for you, shouldn't leave a mark on that money-maker face of yours." I shot a smile at Josh, trying to put him at ease. I've been on a backboard plenty of times during my training, and it's about as fun as a llama spitting in your eye. I continued to ask him questions, the rest mostly being his information, phone number, address, insurance, things like that. After a couple of questions, Josh got a funny look on his face, and he kept staring at me.

"Josh, is everything okay? Is anything else hurting you that we haven't been over?"

"No, you just look really familiar. Have we met before? I know I know you from somewhere." He scrutinized my face, trying to place me in his head.

"Ha ha, well I think I'd remember if I had run into you before. Plus I just moved here a couple of days ago." I smiled at him and returned to my e-pad, finishing up my paperwork.

"No, I'm really good with faces, and I know you. I've met you, somewhere." He said the last part mostly to himself, so I didn't answer him. "Oh my god, I can't believe it. You're purple sequined mini-skirt, from My House. I knew it!" He smiled up at me from his confines, recognition flashing in his eyes. "I'm your knight in shining armor!"

I froze. I could hear Joe laughing from the front of the bus, enthralled in what we were saying. I knew him as an actor; I wasn't dumb when it came to pop culture. I also knew the night he was talking about, but I couldn't remember his face for the life of me. What he was saying, though, I hadn't told anyone, so it had to be him.

He wasn't done talking yet though. "I asked everyone I knew if they knew who you were, but no one had seen you before, or since. I can't believe this is you!" He tried to sit up; thank God he was physically strapped down. I laughed uncomfortably and gently but firmly pushed his shoulder down.

"Woah there, movie star. You must've hit your head hard! This is obviously not a purple sequined mini skirt, good thing we've arrived at the hospital! You've got to get some x-rays done." Joe was at the back, smiling ear-to-ear at me and ready to wheel him into the Emergency Room we had just arrived at. We briefed the nurse who was on Josh's case and headed to the nurse's station to turn in our paperwork and officially transfer his care over to the hospital.

A nurse walks up to the station, file in hand, and turns to me. "Are you the EMT that brought him in?" I nod to her. "Well he's asking for you. You better get in there, he's pretty insistent." I roll my eyes to Joe, who chuckles and smiles to me. I trudge on over to his room, knock on the door and let myself in.

"The nurse said you needed me? Is everything okay?" He's laying flat on the bed, still encased on the backboard and his neck collar still on.

"Can you come closer, please? I'd like to see your face, or as much of it as I can manage." I walk over to his bed, leaning over it so he can see me, all of me. "Look, I'm sorry I embarrassed you in the ambulance. My mental filter wasn't exactly working. But I meant what I said. I know it was you in the club all those months ago, and I've been looking for you ever since. Can I at least get your number, give you a call sometime?"

I look at him, not being able to hide the pity from my face. I hated seeing anyone sick and injured, and my professional composure almost faltered. Almost.

"Look, Josh, you seem like a great guy, and if you really are the guy from the club, I know you are. But I cannot give my phone number to a patient I treated, it's unethical. Please just focus on getting better and back to work on your movie. Good luck with everything." I smile down at him and grasp his hand. Giving it a tight and lingering squeeze, I turn around and walk out of his room.

"Val. VAL!" I can hear him calling me from his bed, but I can't turn around, because if I did all my professionalism and self-control would fly out the window, right then and there. I didn't let myself even think it before, but he was so beautiful. I was lucky he couldn't get a look at me now, I was blushing like crazy. And that someone like him could be interested in someone like me? Not possible. I was tired of getting hurt by guys, and I wasn't about to open myself up to someone like him. I felt horrible for just leaving him strapped in that room, all alone, but I had to think of myself and my job first.

**What will happen with Val and Josh? Will he just give up like that? You'll see… Rate and review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Oh my goodness! Thank you so much to everyone who added me as an author and this story, Off To the Races, to their favorites! I'm so thankful to all of you! Never thought in a million years people would actually want to read what I had written! It truly makes me want to write that much more. Keep sending those reviews my way ;] Now up to chapter 3. M for language, finally.**

"So, wait, this kid's in a movie? He's famous? AND HE'S HOT. VAL, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Ana looked at me like I was a crazy person. I had gotten home from my first shift of work, and was telling her about my weird encounter with the one and only Josh Hutcherson. She hadn't seen The Hunger Games, or any other movie he was in, so she was unfamiliar with whom exactly he was. A Google search later, though, had her chastising my earlier actions concerning him.

"Ana, I was working! In an extremely professional environment! Me getting his number while he was still technically in my care could've gotten me fired. Joe kept teasing me after that, and now everyone in my company knows what happened. On my first day no less! And you know me; I could never go out with someone like him. He's known for being a player, and those types of guys and I don't mix. Plus, he's an actor! He has not only other actresses but also millions of fans that would kill their firstborn to get in his pants. Not what I'm looking for, especially since I just moved here. Gotta get my footing before anything like that with anyone can happen." Ana really hated when I got reasonable with her, she couldn't really argue with it. Except with her usual 'grab-life-by-the-horns' and 'do whatever the fuck you want' speeches. And I could feel one coming up.

"Valerie O'Connor, we just up and left our old lives and our old selves and made this huge decision to move across the state to Los fucking Angeles. I think we've both come to a point in our lives where it's time to try something new. New for you is trying at a relationship! We haven't even been here for a full week and you've got a boy vying for your attention, a hot boy! No offense, the boys you usually shack up with aren't the cutest. Will you at least give it a try, for me?" Her eyes looked up through her eyelashes, and she gave a puppy -dog face that rarely graced my presence.

"Ana, this' got nothing to do with you, it's got to do with me and my sanity. And yes, we haven't even been here a week, so can I get some leeway to adjust to our new surroundings? And besides, even if I wanted to go out with him now, I have no way of getting in contact with him. It was meant to be like this, I know it. As flattering as his attention was, he probably just hit his head harder than I originally thought." I shrugged her off and made my way from the couch where we had been sitting to the kitchen, hungry for something sweet. An apple or some cuties would fix the rumbling that had just presented itself in my stomach.

"Oh my God, Val, you are ridiculous. You're going to regret this, I can feel it." She said the last sentence with a mocking tone to her voice, holding her hands up to her head psychic style. I stuck my tongue out at her as I peeled my mini tangerine. "Do you want me to make you anything while I'm in here? I'm in a cooking mood." She shot me a look and replied, "Yes, some eggs would be lovely. And mix some onions and peppers in there. And regular pepper. And salt."

"Yes ma'am. Coming right up! You're lucky I like you." I smiled, not looking at her as I concentrated on mixing her eggs.

Over the next week I started to get used to the flow of the ambulance company, coming in to work, prepping my bus, and working routine calls. Mostly transfers from one care facility to another, that took up about 95% of our calls. On my last shift before the weekend, I was working on finishing up some paperwork when Joe came in to the office I was working in.

"Hey Val, can you come with me for a sec? There's something I need you to help me out with. Can't deal with this myself apparently." I gave him a quizzical look, and rose slowly from my chair. There wasn't anything I could think of that Joe couldn't do all on his own. If he could drive the ambulance and deal with the patient in the back at the same time I'd be out of a job.

"Sure Joe…" I followed him out to the front office where we had a couple of dispatchers fielding calls between hospitals, care facilities, and other private contractors. They saw me come around the corner and burst into a fit of giggles. I thought, 'What could it be now?' The teasing that came from my first day of work had died down, thankfully, but something else had obviously let them off. Was my hair funky, or my glasses out of place? I straightened out the glasses on the bridge of my nose when I turned the corner and saw him. He was wearing a black leather jacket and wayfarer sunglasses, with a motorcycle helmet tucked under his arm. With his free hand he shook out his hair, and smiled as he saw me coming towards him. This was Josh, and I finally got to see him out of my patient care, and boy did he look fine. I gulped and took in a deep breath. I could see Joe in my peripheral vision, a goofy grin on his face, not even trying to contain himself anymore.

"This young man came in looking for you," Joe explained, "And wanted to discuss his, erm, patient care. I, of course, taking the reputation of this establishment very seriously, came and got you immediately." I gawked at Joe, seriously taken aback at his sudden overload of professionalism. He grinned at me and turned around; walking back to wherever he had come from before Josh had come in. The dispatchers were still staring at us, eager to see what would happen next. I shot them daggers and motioned to Josh.

"Come with me," I mumbled at him, looking down and leading the way into the office where I was just working. He smiled and followed me, not saying anything. As I walked into the office, I feebly attempted to straighten out what I had just been working on; I had no regard for organization when it came to my daily paperwork, and my bosses only cared that it got turned in on time and to the right place.

"Okay dude, seriously? This has got to stop. You're going to get me fired, and I've barely been here a week. This is my dream job; I'm not going to let you ruin it for me." I stared at him, being as serious as I could muster. The smile on his face faltered, and he sunk into a chair that was right behind him. I went to close the door to the office and sat down in my own chair at the desk. He looked down, and then back up at me; it looked like he was trying to find the right words to say. He looked genuinely sorry and hurt, and I immediately regretted being so harsh with him. He looked like a puppy that had just been kicked in the gut. My expression softened, and I let out a deep sigh that I didn't realize I had been holding in.

He finally seemed to collect himself and looked at me, his hazel eyes penetrating straight into myself. I was taken aback at his gaze, and he spoke. "Val, I'm sorry, but I can't stop thinking about you. I called my agent and publicist to try and get your number, email, anything, and all they could get me was the agency you worked for. I wouldn't come in here if I weren't serious about you. Ever since that night at the club, you've been the only person I could think about. I think it was fate or something, as cheesy as it sounds, that had me get hurt and have you show up to save me," He smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back, "Please, Valerie, I want to get to know you better, I need to get to know you better. Let me take you out, how does dinner sound? Something simple, where we can just talk. I don't think I could take it if I didn't try and pursue this." His whole body agreed with his words, his eyes, face even his hands seemed to beg for me to see him out. I looked down at the carpet of the office, not being able to meet his gaze anymore; his eyes were too intense.

"Fine. Just stop coming to my work and doing this, please? I'm trying to remain some semblance of professionalism. Oh, and I don't do dinner dates. Coffee will work. Do you drink coffee?" I finally looked back up at him, and his grin that had just graced his beautiful face was infectious. I matched his grin with my own small smile as he replied, "Yes, I drink coffee. And if you want me to stop coming to your work, since it's the only place I know where to find you, could I please get your number? If I do, no more surprise visits, I promise." He placed his hand over his heart as I reached for a piece of scratch paper on my desk, scribbling my name and number on it before folding it and placing it in his open hand.

"Alright, you got what you came here for, now can you go so I can get some more work done? Plus now I have to do damage control with all the office drama you've managed to stir up since I first got here." He laughed; it was melodic and echoed with the acoustics of the small office space we were still in. I got up and opened the door, beckoning him to follow me out of the agency through where he came in. The women at dispatch stared without even trying to mask it as I lead him to the front door.

"Expect a call from me Val," He said as he held up the scratch paper I gave him. He put on his sunglasses and began to put on his motorcycle helmet.

"Oh and Josh? Do you know what we call motorcycle drivers in the medical field?" He gave me a quizzical look as I paused for a second, building up to what I was going to say next. "Organ donors." And with that I promptly turned around to head back to the office, and I could feel his smile piercing my back as I finally heard the door open and him walk out.

**So Val finally agreed to a date! But why not a dinner date? You'll find out later :] Short chapter I do realize, but gotta have a good intro into the date! Oh, and just for your edification, we EMT's really do call motorcyclists organ donors, just a running joke.**

**I'm going to try to update with a new chapter every couple of days, but I gotta think of new ideas for the story! Plus I go to school and work two jobs, busy busy life! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Don't forget, dear readers, to rate and review! How else will I know whether or not you actually like my story? Tee hee… in other news I've been hit with a healthy dose of creative inspiration, and finally have a solid direction that I'd like the story to go! That means more chapters coming to sooner than expected! Lots of exclamation points necessary! Now on to the story! First date time…**

"Ohhhhh Valerie darling! What are you going to wear today?" Ana bounded in to our room from the kitchen/living room, coffee mug in hand. Though I highly doubted it had anything relatively close to coffee in it, it was Saturday and she preferred tequila to Earl Grey on Saturday mornings.

"I was thinking just this?" I motioned to what I was currently wearing, which was an old pair of Hollister jeans, the flared kind they don't sell anymore, and a white boyfriend tee with a little pocket over one of my boobs.

"Valerie O'Conner! You are going on a date with a bona-fide movie star! Class it up a little bit, sheesh." She shook her head in mock shame.

"Ana, it's hardly a date. It's coffee on a Saturday afternoon; it barely counts as a hangout. And it's going to be super casual, which was the point! My outfit screams casual, and it's comfy." I basically lived in jeans and any tee shirt, which Ana hardly approved of. Her eclectic style worked perfectly for her, but didn't really match my personality.

"Girl, please, just this once can I pick out something for you to wear?" Her puppy-dog eyes peeked out to me over her tequila mug, and I instantly caved.

"Ugh, go ahead." I motioned to our shared closet and rolled my eyes. She squealed with delight and jumped off her previous perch on my bed to make her way to our massive amounts of clothes, handing me her mug in the process. I took a whiff of it and gagged; it was stronger than I thought it would be.

"Ana, what the hell do you have in here? It's not even noon!" She didn't answer me, but instead threw multiple items of clothing directly at my face.

"Here," she said, "Wear these. And for shoes, wear those tan-beige-y slouch boots you have."

"Yes ma'am." I said to her, saluting her with my fingers at my forehead before bending over to pick up the clothes she had just flung at me. Her choice was, not surprisingly, perfect. She picked out a ¾ sleeved blue striped shirt, one of my favorites, and paired it with a floral scarf she had that I had never dreamed of pairing with the shirt. She also picked out some flattering dark-wash skinny jeans that would tuck in well with the aforementioned boots. I put these all on and posed for her, smiling.

"How's this, fairy godmother?"

"It's missing one thing…" She trailed off while looking around our room for something apparently missing from my outfit. "Ahh, here it is. Perfect. Wouldn't be you without these!" She came up to me, standing directly in front of my face, and placed my Juicy Couture brown-framed glasses up the bridge of my nose. "Fabulous! Now a spray of perfume and your ready to go!" I looked in the mirror and, for the first time in a long time, actually felt pretty. My EMT uniform left a lot to be desired in the looks department, and it was nice to actually dress nicely for a change. And the confidence boost that came standard with Ana was definitely a major plus. I took my heart shaped bottle of Vera Wang Princess, my signature scent, and sprayed my neck, chest, and back of my head. I loved being complimented on how I smelled; weird, I know, but even if I felt terribly ugly any day I could at least smell good. I grabbed my purse and my keys, and swiped on some flavored chap stick before hugging Ana and heading out the door.

"Good luck bebeh! Text me how it goes! Or don't, then I'll know it's going especially well!" I waved her goodbye as I shut the door and headed out to my car. We were meeting at a local Coffee Bean, an apparent staple of Los Angeles. I was really nervous; I talked to myself throughout the whole drive there, trying not to psych myself out. The mini pep talk didn't help much though; it only made the butterflies in my stomach that much worse. I followed the GPS in my car to the coffee shop, parked in the parking lot, and just sat in my car. I stared absentmindedly out the window, battling myself with a heated inner debate on whether or not to actually get out of the car. I had decided to drive home and text Josh that I couldn't make it when I heard a knock on my window, which jolted me out of my head. I jumped, grasping my heart, which was now beating a million times a minute. I turned to see Josh leaning to my side window, chuckling at my reaction to him. He wore sunglasses and one of those fedora-looking hats on his head, which went quite nicely with the white shirt he was also wearing. I rolled down my window and smiled up at him awkwardly.

"Hi." I said. He chuckled again.

"Hey there. I saw you drive in, and I have to say I was very surprised when you didn't get out of the car for a good," he paused, looking at the watch on his wrist, "ten minutes. I just wanted to come by and see if everything was going okay in here." A dazzling smile graced his face as he looked at me, and then took a look at the inside of my car. I really wish he hadn't, because the state of the inside of my car was atrocious. I had various DMV documents and ambulance paperwork on the floors, about three half-empty water bottles, a couple of textbooks from my previous school term, and what looked at be a full change of clothes sitting on my backseat. And all of that doesn't even include my hatchback trunk. I was relieved when his eyes met my face again.

"Yeah, uh, well, I was going to get out of the car, but then… well, I guess I didn't. I was working on it, I promise." I could feel an embarrassing shade of red begin to creep up to my face. I looked down shamefully when I heard him laugh again.

"No worries, I haven't been able to get the tingles out of my fingers and toes yet either."

I countered, "Well that could actually mean you're hypoxic." The confused look on his face after that word sprang out of my mouth made me giggle. "It means you're not getting enough oxygen."

"Oh, well, coffee has oxygen in it, doesn't it? Or at least water, which I'm positive, has oxygen in it. How about we go get some? There is a coffee place right here." He motioned to the Coffee Bean before opening my door. I rolled my window up and followed him inside. We got in line, browsing the menu in silence. I saw him turn to me, but I kept my eyes on the menu.

"So, what've you been up to lately?" He asked me. I finally turned to him, pausing a second before answering to see if he was really serious. When I could tell that he was, I answered him.

"Honestly, everything's been so crazy since I moved here. I still haven't even unpacked all of my boxes yet. Trying to get things done around my work schedule is near impossible. Ana, my best friend and now roommate, is pretty good at nesting; she's unpacked all her stuff and our shared stuff, like dishes and stuff. It'll probably be at least another week until I get around to unpacking everything. I'm an amazing procrastinator."  
"So what's your work schedule like? I've never met anyone who was an EMT as a profession."

I smiled at him; I honestly loved answering any questions having to do with my job. "In most companies, they have specific shift schedules that don't change for anyone. I work a twelve-hour shift, and then have twenty-four hours until my next shift starts. That's how it goes for most EMT's in California. Then I usually sleep for around twelve hours, so then I only have half a day to do anything I need to get done." He looked at me like I was a crazy person. "Okay, which part of the previous statement was so shocking to you?" He didn't have time to answer me, though, because it was our turn at the cashier. He got an iced mocha, while I opted for a triple shot vanilla latte. I took out my wallet to pay, but he pushed my hand away.

"Nonsense, I almost cost you your job twice, the least I can do is get you a triple shot vanilla latte." The cashier gave us a knowing smile as he took Josh's card and swiped it in the machine.

"Thank you, that's very generous." We walked to the pick-up counter together, and again I couldn't seem to meet his eyes.

"Pshh, don't get your panties in a twist, it's just coffee." He shot me a goofy look and we both burst out laughing. "So, really Val, tell me about yourself. How about start with a basic summary and we'll go from there?" There was his gaze on me again, so I drew a deep breath and prepared mentally what I was going to say.

"Okay. Name's Valerie O'Connor, born and raised in San Francisco. Just my mom raised me, and we lived in a little apartment near China Town. My mom worked full time, so I've been in day care since my mom went back to work after having me. I dropped out of high school when I was 16, got my GED and started college. Last summer I got my EMT certification in Yosemite, where I was also trained as a wilderness EMT. A month ago I got a job at an ambulance company down here, and my best friend Ana came with me. And now here I am, two weeks in to LA life and already having coffee with a movie star." He laughed at the last part, and grabbed our coffee cups of the counter. He lead me to a cozy little corner of the Coffee Bean, where there were two comfy-looking arm chairs surrounding a small coffee table.

"Alright movie star, your turn." He then proceeded to tell me about himself, but in much more depth than the information I had chosen to reveal to him. He told me about growing up in Kentucky, then moving out to LA when he was still pretty young to get started in acting. He told me about his family, mainly his brother Connor, and silly stories from their childhood. He told me about his acting, and why he loved it so much, and about his volunteer work and activism efforts. I was impressed, partly because he sure could talk about himself, but also because he didn't seem to leave anything out about himself. I was amazed that he trusted me enough to be so uncensored about his life; I know I couldn't do the same. We went back and forth for a couple hours, and were only interrupted by my phone.

"I'm so sorry," I apologized, scrambling around in my purse to find my phone and turn it off.

"You can go ahead and take it, that's fine."

"Oh, well it's not actually a phone call, but an alarm I set for work. I'm so sorry, I've got to get back and get ready for my shift tonight."

He flashed a grin at me. "So you took time out of the twelve hours spent not sleeping and not working to have coffee with little old me? I'm touched." He placed a hand over his heart in a joking way, but I could hint a smidge on sincerity in his tone.

I laughed at him. "Yes, I even put off unpacking a box or two to come and see you. How noble of me. But really, I honestly didn't think I'd be here this long."

"So, wait, does that mean THE Valerie O'Connor actually likes me? She likes to spend time with me? I never would have dreamed…" His voice trailed off as he gazed upwards.

"I did have a really nice time," He looked back to my face when I said this, "Honestly. Thank you for inviting me out to spend time with you."

"You're welcome. I'm glad I wore you down enough to actually come out with me. I really enjoyed myself this afternoon." He led me out of the Coffee Bean and to my car. "Val, I'd really like to do this again, do you think the next time you have a free twelve hour block of time you would go out with me again? I'd like to take you on an actual date." I smiled and looked at my shoes, blushing. I couldn't help myself; I can't even remember the last time someone actually asked me out on a date before.

Not looking up from my feet, I answered, "Yes, I'd love to."

"Alright, awesome… wow, great!" He spluttered this, I wondered if he thought I'd say no? "Okay, well, I don't want to keep you from work, but will you let me know when you're free again?"

"Yes, of course. After this shift I've got time, is that too soon?  
"Of course not! I'll set something up. I'll see you soon Val." He turned away; his car was probably in the opposite direction. I sighed, letting out a breath I didn't know I was hold. Suddenly, I heard pounding feet coming toward me. I turned to the sound and saw Josh, coming back toward me. He crashed into me, giving me a big bear hug.

"I couldn't leave before doing that, I'd kill myself if I didn't." I hugged him back, laughing, and he let me go. I was shocked when he all of a sudden planted a kiss on my cheek and took off running. He yelled back at me, "I'll see you soon, Valerie O'Connor!" I was stuck in place, unable to think of anything else except the lips that had been on my cheek just as suddenly as they have left them.

Oh boy, I was in trouble.

** So there it is, their first date! What do you all think? I'd love rates and reviews, let's me know I'm doing something right in my hot mess of a life lol. Anyways, I'm sorry it took me so long to publish again, life happens sometimes. But more is coming up soon; I've got great ideas! Until next time my lovely readers! *Muah***


	5. Chapter 5

**Off To The Races has gone international! I've been to two of the countries besides the one I live in (hint: it has 50 states and a couple of territories) and I can't believe people from around the world are reading this! I'm honored, honestly! And I've been getting more reviews on the story too, keep them coming! I love you guys so much 3 now on to date #2… with drama and flair.**

I could easily say that this was my hardest day at work. We had our first real emergency in weeks, and it showed on me. My clothes were covered in blood and guts; I didn't have time to change into a new uniform before my shift was over and I just wanted to get home. The call was good practice for me though, and the guy was going to be okay, but I was exhausted. I just wanted to take a shower and wash my clothes; this was the only thing I didn't like about the job. I tiredly walked up the stairs to my apartment door and took my time turning the keys to open the door. I was surprised, though, to hear laughter coming from behind the door. I hoped it was just the TV; I didn't really feel like putting up with Ana's friends right now looking the way I did. I'm sure I would totally freak them out, and I didn't want to explain myself at the moment. I opened the door and saw two people sitting on or couch, much to my dismay. I didn't even utter a greeting as I entered the apartment; I just wasn't feeling like faking pleasantries and introductions.

"Hey girl, how was… OH MY GOD. VALERIE!" I knew this would happen, and I let out a big sigh and rolled my eyes. Ana ran to me, but the person she was sitting on the couch with followed her and got to me before she could. I felt strong hands on my face, yanking them up from their position facing the floor. I was stunned by the hazel eyes that pierced me, they most certainly we not Ana's. The eyes looked at me, and then proceeded to scan my face and body. The hands, though, never left my face. Ana practically pounced on the body that belonged to the eyes and hands; looking me over as well. "Valerie, holy shit, what the fuck happened to you?"

"Ana, don't worry, none of this blood is mine. I am in Emergency Medicine, blood kind of comes with the territory." I hoped that my tired voice accurately conveyed exactly how I was feeling and that Ana would get off my back, and that the hands would get off my face. I finally looked at the eyes, and the face they went with, and saw that they belonged to Josh. Okay, now I was confused. "Josh, what're you doing here? How did you find out where I lived?" Josh finally let me go, but the look of concern didn't leave his face.

"Val, we had a date scheduled for tonight, remember? And Ana found me on Twitter, and we got to talk. When she told me that you weren't home from work yet, she invited me to come over and wait for you to make sure everything was okay. I had just figured you got tied up on your shift, but now I'm glad I came over. Valerie, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't let you know earlier, but we got this call and, well, you can see how that went. I'm sorry; I'm just so exhausted, would you hate me if I asked for a rain check? I just need to…" I didn't get to finish my sentence, though, before having to stop and steady myself against the first solid surface I could find. And that surface happened to be Josh. He caught me, holding on to me so tight that I cried out in pain and shock. "Look, Josh, you should just go. I'll call you later, okay? I'm so sorry, please forgive me…" My voice turned into a whisper, though, and it was very unconvincing, even to me.

"No way, I'm not leaving you like this, even with Ana here. Let's get your clothes off and get you into the shower. Ana, can you grab a towel?" I didn't even protest; I was too tired. The weight of the day hit me like a ton of bricks, and even talking took too much energy. Josh led me to Ana and mine's room, never letting go of my arm. I would probably fall over if he did and I'm sure he knew that. Ana came into sight with a towel, and she laid it on my bed. Josh sat me down on the towel, and Ana sat next to me, supporting me now. Josh leaned down and started to untie my shoes, setting them down next to my bed before taking off my socks. He then came up to my face, looking deep into my eyes. I avoided his gaze; I was too embarrassed to look him in the face. He didn't protest, but began to start unbuttoning my shirt. I went through all the motions, having Josh help take off my clothes until I was left in my undershirt and underwear. I know I should care, but right now I just wanted to close my eyes forever. Not a single worthwhile thought came across my mind; I was blank. Ana stood me up and led me to the shower, turning it on and waiting for it to get warm. She helped me take off my underwear and helping me into the shower. The hot water instantly energized me, and she took a seat on the toilet seat while I thoroughly washed myself. Thirty minutes later, I turned the shower off. Ana got up and got me my pajamas to get in, and I smiled at her before she left me in the bathroom to get dressed. I walked out of the bathroom, and was genuinely surprised to see Josh sitting on my bed. His head was in his hands, and his head shot up when he heard me come out of the shower. I couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face, like I was going to spontaneously combust at any second. I had my towel wrapped around my head, but I took it out and rubbed my long blonde hair in between it before letting the towel fall to the ground. Josh stood up, slowly walking over to me. I still had a smile on my face, but I was waiting for him to speak first. I wanted to assess the situation before speaking; not doing that usually got me into a lot of trouble.

"Val… Valerie. Are you okay? You really scared me, you scared both of us." Ana wasn't anywhere in sight, she probably was giving us our privacy. She was good at things like that.

"That shower felt great! I know I got kinda freaky-deeky earlier, I just felt like I was going to collapse with exhaustion. Thank you, though. It's late, and I'm sure you've had enough of my craziness for one night. Can I call you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, of course, but Val, I'm not going to leave you. Not after that. I'll sleep on the couch if I have to; I'm sure Ana wouldn't have a problem with that, even of you do."

"Josh, that's very noble of you, but I'm a big girl, and I've got Ana here. I'm going to be fine. How about tomorrow? I kind of want to see the Santa Monica Pier."

"VAL, DON'T FORGET, WE'VE GOT THAT THING TOMORROW." Ana's voice comes booming out of the living room; she'd obviously been listening to us. "BUT JOSH, FEEL FREE TO STAY SWEETIE. YOU GUYS GET THE COUCH THOUGH."

"See, look? I told you Ana would be fine with it. Plus we've got the couch," Josh gives me a playful shove, and I grin at him. "Come on, you owe me that date, remember? How about a movie?" I nod my okay, and we head out to the couch to join Ana and watch a movie. Josh sits next to me, with Ana on my other side. He wraps his arm around my shoulder, and I snuggle into it. I barely remember the first part of the movie, though, because sleep overpowers me and I drift off.

I wake up to sunlight and my alarm blaring in my ear. I'm in a very awkward position on the couch, and most importantly, I'm alone. I rub my face, still very groggy, and look up. My alarm was set to go off at 11:30, and it never failed me. I shut it off and look around, shocked to find an empty apartment. Ana was supposed to be here right now, she promised me she'd go with me weeks ago. I hear the toilet flush and sigh in relief, but Ana doesn't exit the bathroom, Josh does.

"Josh? What're you still doing here? Where's Ana?"

"Well good morning sleepy-head. Ana had to take off, she said something about an emergency at work? I told you I would stay, and I thought we could spend the day together since you don't have work."

I panicked. I ran to my phone and began dialing. Josh could tell something was up, he came up to me with that absolutely adorable confused look he gets all too often at me. Ana finally picked up the phone and began speaking before I could say anything"

_"Val, I am so sorry, there was an emergency and the parents called me in last minute. I told them I couldn't, but they said they'd let me go if I didn't come in. I am SO sorry."_

I tried to be sympathetic, but I couldn't keep the distress out of my voice. "Ana, I was counting on you! This is so important, and I told you I couldn't go alone, I wouldn't be able to drive myself back! I can't go in if I don't have someone to drive me home, they won't let me. What am I supposed to do?" I turned away from Josh, needing to concentrate on the conversation at hand.

_"Is Josh still there? Can't he take you?"_

"I don't want him involved in this, you know how I feel about it. It took me everything to ask you to do it!" I then hear him speak to me, talking over my phone call.

"Val, whatever it is, I can take you. I'm free all day, and I want to help." I held a finger up behind me, very rudely telling him to wait a second.

_"I heard that, Val. Let him take you. I'll make it up to you, I promise."_

I let out a frustrated grunt and hang up the phone. I really didn't want to deal with this right now. But, ignoring me, Josh spoke again.

"Val, I meant it. Let me help you out a little. What do you need me to do?"

I slowly turned to him, my eyes closed in frustration. "Okay. Let me ask you two questions." His face urged me to go on, not speaking a word. "One: Are you really free all day? Because this would take a while."

"Yes, I'm absolutely free all day."

"Alright, and question two: Are you ready for me to get a whole lot weirder?"

"Bring it on."

With that sentence and the way he treated me last night, I actually trusted him. Plus, I didn't really have anyone else to do this for me.

"Alright dude, let's go. I'm going to need you to drive me home afterwards though."

**Not exactly a normal date, but I still think it counts. But what does Val have going on? You guys, I am so excited to write this story. I actually stopped watching one of my favorite TV shows to get this story typed up and out for you guys! I know it's short, but the next one's a doozy! Stay tuned, my lovely readers!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'd like to apologize for my lack of update, I've been through a bout of severe exhaustion and needed to rest and recuperate. Life hits you hard sometimes, you know? Anyways, didn't mean to leave you with a cliffhanger, so here you go! Get's a little PG-13 here, FYI. Please rate and review, I absolutely LOVE hearing from you guys!**

I led him through the double doors and up to the receptionist's desk. I gave her my ID and watched as she checked me in. Josh wasn't making a sound behind me; he was still probably really confused.

"Alright, Ms. O'Connor, they'll be out for you shortly. Go ahead and have a seat."

Josh and I went to sit down and wait. He didn't say anything after he saw that we were pulling into the hospital parking lot, and I prayed that he hadn't noticed the 'Oncology' sign directly above us. I took in a sharp breath, preparing to explain myself, but before I could a nurse came out and called, "Valerie O'Connor?"

I smiled at her, saying "That's me," then turned around to Josh. "Come with me, please?"

He nodded, not speaking yet. I wasn't sure if this was out of courtesy or shock of where we were. The nurse led us to Triage, where she took my blood pressure and temperature. "Alright, Valerie, everything looks good on my end. Did you take the Benadryl and Tylenol we asked you to?"  
"Oh shoot, I was in such a rush this morning that I didn't get a chance."

"Not a problem, we'll just give it to you through your IV."

I nodded my understanding as she led us to the infusion room. I saw the chair meant for me; it was a really comfy armchair with a pole up the side for IV medications. There was another armchair there for family and friends to sit as the infusions took place.

"Josh, you can sit here," I motioned to the armchair meant for him, "And I'll explain everything in a second."

He took a seat and waited as the nurse started an IV in my arm. I couldn't look at Josh; instead I studied the nurses needle-poking.

"Alrighty then, I'm going to get all your meds prepped and ready for you, it may take a little bit."

"Okay, thank you so much." The nurse nodded to me and left Josh and I alone in the room together. "Alright Josh, here's what's up. Let me start out by saying that I don't have cancer. I just have to get my infusions done in the Oncology ward because they have the right equipment to administer the drug I have to take. I have a condition called Ulcerative Colitis, which is an autoimmune disorder. Basically, my body's immune system doesn't recognize my intestines as 'friendly' and sends anti-bodies to attack it to make it better. The problem is that my intestines are really okay, but the antibodies sent to make it 'better' actually make it really sick. Sort of like an endless cycle of miscommunication. I take medications to help this, but I also need a medicine that I can only get through an infusion. Hence being here. Ana was supposed to take me today because the medication makes me really tired afterwards and I can't drive myself home, but you know what happened about that. So that's where you come in! I hope this isn't too much for you, you're kind of the only person here I know in LA, and you said you were game but I'm sure you weren't expecting anything like this and I know it can be a lot because not many people can handle this I mean I have no idea how anyone who doesn't have it deals with it because it's so freaky and gross and who want's to be around a sick person? I mean, I'm not contagious or anything but you never know how people are going to react to it-"

"Valerie oh my God calm down!" Josh was standing now, I guess I didn't notice him move or anything with my nervous rambling going on. He knelt by my chair and put his hands on my legs. "Val, I'm glad I could come help you out today. Really. I'm sorry you have to deal with this, but I'm glad I could be here with you. Let me know any way I can help." His smile melted my heart, how was he possibly okay with this? I really didn't care anymore, I was just glad his beautiful face was in front of mine. "Now, how long does this usually take? The infusions?"

"Oh, well, I usually start around noon and get out around 6…" I give him an apologetic look, expecting a bad reaction from him.

"What in the world do you do during it?"

"Oh, well, I usually start off by watching a movie, but I almost always fall asleep in the middle of it and have to be woken up at the end of the cycle. Ana usually brings a book with her, I should've warned you. I'm sorry."

"No worries, I'll just play movies if you fall asleep. I'm quite adept at keeping myself entertained." I smile at him as he goes to the movie cabinet, perusing the selection. "Alright, what're you in the mood for? We have quite a few action movies, I see some Star Wars here too…"

"Oooh, Star Wars sounds great! Let's start at the beginning. The real beginning, though, none of that bogus prequel crap." He laughs at my response, and I can't help but laugh with him. Everything was just easy with him. He pops in a DVD as the nurse walks back in.

"Everything's set up for you and ready to go! Let me just get that IV attached to your hand and we'll get things started." She reaches for my hand, which I extend out to her. She first pushes in two small syringes; I assume those are the Benadryl and Tylenol I forgot to take earlier this morning. Then she wheels in my infusion machine, which regulates the amount of medication I get so it's spread out over the correct amount of time. She plugs in the machine behind me and inserts the end of the tube to the IV sticking in my hand, and pushes the machine to start. "This should take about 6 hours, as usual, and we'll come in and check your blood pressure every thirty minutes." She wraps the blood pressure cuff around my arm, assesses the results, and then walks out of the room.

I turn to Josh. "Are you ready for this epic Star Wars marathon to commence?"

"Absolutely. Let's get it started." He pushes a button on a remote in his hand, which begins the movie. He puts the remote on his leg and takes my free hand in his. I intertwine my fingers in his, smiling and settling myself into the chair. I start to feel the Benadryl take effect, though, and close my eyes about twenty minutes into the first movie. Josh sees my eyes close and gives my hand a squeeze, then rubs his thumb over the top of my hand. I fall asleep to the amazing feeling of his hand caressing mine.

"Val? Valerie, come on, it's time to wake up. Everything's done now, we can go home." Josh gently shakes me awake, and I slowly open my eyes. Josh is standing over me and a hospital aide is behind him, wheelchair in tow. I sigh and give a huge yawn, stretching in the process. Without a word I get up and into the wheelchair, and the aide tells Josh to bring the car around to the entrance. I look to my hand, which is now IV free. They really did finish everything up while I was asleep. The aide wheels me outside, where Josh is waiting with my precious Skeeter. He opens the passenger door for me, and the aide helps me into the seat. Josh thanks the aide and gets into the driver seat, ready to drive us home. I don't say anything during the drive, I'm way too tired, but Josh doesn't say anything either. We get to my apartment and Josh walks me to my door. Without even thinking about him, I open the door and walk inside. To my surprise, it's pitch black inside.

"Ana called me; she had an to stay overnight at work. She tried your phone, but it wasn't on." I look in my purse for my phone, and sure enough, the screen is black. It must've died at the hospital.

"Josh, thank you so much for today. I have no idea what I would've done without you here. I really needed that." I turned to face him, and gave him a big hug.

"Of course Valerie, I'm so glad I could help. And seriously, if you ever need anything, ever, please call me." He pulled me away just enough to look at his face, but his face was serious. I couldn't help but stare at him; his face, his eyes, the stubble that graced his chin and neck. But I also couldn't take my eyes off his lips, and he noticed. He looked between my eyes and my lips, inching closer to me. I had waited too long to do this, so instead of waiting for him to inevitably close the gap, I pushed my lips onto his. He was surprised for a nanosecond, but then responded to my sudden kiss. His lips molded against mine; moving slowly in perfect harmony with me. He gripped me hard to him, which caused me to gasp a little. He took this opportunity to deepen the kiss, plunging his tongue into my mouth, exploring me. He tasted amazing, and I wrestled my tongue with his, fighting for dominance. He pushed my against the wall, never breaking the kiss, and moved his hand downward to my ass. He circled it, squeezing and rubbing, and hitched my leg around him. His lips moved from mine to my neck, where they kissed roughly, emitting a moan from me. He growled into my neck, and pulled my other leg around him so both of my legs were wrapped around his waist. He walked me to my bedroom, dropping me onto my bed. I was out of breath, and so was he, but he took this time separated to pull his shirt over his head. He dove back down to me, but I put my hands on his chest stopping him. His torso had caught me off guard, and I needed a moment to stare at it. He had an anchor tattoo on one side of his perfectly chiseled abs. He took my wrists in his hands, throwing them behind my head as he pushed his face back onto mine, lips finding my lips again. I wound my newly free hands in his hair, and one of his arms snaked behind my lower back. The other arm slipped up my stomach and grasped my side, which made me moan into his mouth. All of a sudden, he pulled away.

Breathing heavily, he said, "Val, wait. We should stop." I stared at him, incredulous.

"What do you mean, stop? Are you okay?" He hung his head, unable to look me in the eyes.

"I just don't feel right about doing this right now. I feel like I'm taking advantage of you. You were just in the hospital, for Christ's sake! Watching you lay there, with all those tubes in you, and then we come home and do this? You need to rest or something, I don't know." He stands up off the bed, and runs both hands through his thoroughly tussled hair.

Alright, now I'm getting pissed. "You think you're taking advantage of me? I kissed you! I started this because I wanted it, but it seems like you've had second thoughts. I'm not fragile, or broken; just because I'm sick doesn't mean that I'm any less of a person than before you knew about me. See this, right here? This is why I don't tell anybody about this, or ask for help from anyone. Because no one seems to be able to handle it. Don't say you care about me, and that you want to help me, and then run away when it gets tough for you. Well fine then, I'm giving you an out. Thank you for taking me today, seriously, but you should go." I get up off the bed and walk straight to my front door, opening it and waiting for Josh to exit.

"Val, come on, you know I didn't mean it like that." Josh pleads with me. I stay standing by the door, silent, until Josh finally walks out. Finally feeling alone and unattached, I fall against the door, sobbing.


	7. Chapter 7

I pretty much bury myself in my work over the next week, not leaving the station even when I'm off. They have beds and showers there for us to use, and I've been picking up an extra shift or two whenever I can. Josh calls me every day, and I've heard from Ana that he also stops by the house whenever he can. I just can't face him at the moment; it really hurt me when he thought I was just too fragile. I suppose I am trying to overcompensate with taking on so much at work, but I didn't get into this kind of work to get pushed around. I'm strong and I know it, and I'll prove it until it kills me. I haven't been my usual sunny self at work though, and Joe really noticed.

"Hey Val, what's been up with you lately? You've been a bit off."

"Oh my goodness Joe, I'm so sorry, has my work been bad?" I start to really worry; I don't like anything affecting my work.

Joe just laughs at me. "Oh of course not, you're really starting to get the hang of things around here. I'm just noticing you're not your usual self, and I'm concerned. Is it that 'slice of yum' that I hear the dispatchers talking about?"

I'm mortified when I hear Joe call Josh my 'slice of yum', and it makes me angry that the dispatchers are talking about me. They've always been the biggest gossips, so I try to stay as far away from them as I can. Another weird thing was that Joe and I didn't ever talk about personal things. Don't get me wrong, he was the best mentor I could ever hope for, but we kept things professional and fun. I don't know very much about him, except that he has a two-year-old daughter with his longtime girlfriend.

"Ugh, I can't believe they call him that. It is, but it's nothing to worry about. Just life drama that has nothing to do with my work here!" As if coming from God himself, our radio goes off for a local call. I take the wheel as Joe puts in the GPS address and we are a go.

I actually decide to come home that night. I smell weird, it was that kind of day at work, and I want my delicious smelling body wash that I only keep at home. I trudge up my stairs and begin to unbutton my shirt before even getting to the door, not giving a single fuck if anyone sees me. As I'm turning the corner to my door, I almost trip over a rogue pair of feet hanging from behind the divider.

"What the fuck…" I yell as I awkwardly try to dodge the feet before they ultimately become the reason for me toppling down the stairs. As I struggle to regain the balance that I had so quickly lost, the person connected to the feet in question jostles awake. To my surprise, it's Josh.

"Josh? What the... Jesus Christ, what're you doing here?" I splutter to him, subconsciously taking a step back toward the opposite wall of the hallway. Adrenaline was still snaking through my bloodstream and I just wanted to take a beat, but fast as a bullet he was on his feet. He shook out his hair and was breathing hard, though I was the one who was scared shitless.

"Oh, Val, hey! Good God I'm glad you're here, I haven't heard from you in over a week! Why haven't you been answering my calls and texts? I had to talk to Ana just to get the lowdown on you, I've been kinda worried!"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Josh, are you serious? The last time we talked made it pretty clear what you were feeling, sorry I didn't want to stick around for the pity party on my behalf." Josh gave me an exasperated groan and ran his fingers over his face and through his hair again.

"Val, not gonna lie, I didn't know how to exactly how to handle the day in the hospital. But can you blame me? I'm so incredibly sorry for how I acted, I know now it wasn't what you needed. I've been doing a lot of research on it, and I've come up with a bunch of different trials you can enter yourself into, and there are a TON of new off-label medicines you can use, and did you know there's been quite a positive reduction in symptoms with holistic methods like acupuncture and different herbs and-" I giggled as I threw my hand over his mouth to shut him up.

"Josh, oh my god calm down! I do know a lot about these treatments, but in all honesty I don't really need them. I'm doing really well right now, a lot better than the past couple of years. For me, being able to maintain a full time job with all the stress and pressure it ensues is a huge step, and I've been maintaining really well. Look, it's like 10 at night, cold-ish, and I'm pretty beat from work," He hangs his head and frowns a little, but I just smile and finish my sentence, "so can we please go in my apartment so I can fix us some tea?"

Josh let out a huge breath that I, nor probably him for that matter, knew he was holding, threw back his head and laughed a couple times, then replied with, "Yes. Jesus Val, yes." I couldn't contain the smile on my face anymore as I moved past him to my door and lead him into my empty apartment.

**For fucking finally. I am so sorry guys, I had an 80-hour-a-week full time job this past summer then had to get situated with classes this fall, which have been way harder than I'm used to. But a million thanks to everyone who sent reviews and urged me to keep writing! It was eventually my insomnia that make me finish this **_**extremely **_**short chapter, but I wanted a little fluffer to patch up the last chapter and prepare for the next ones! A very special shoutout to piper2323 for getting a very subtle reference to one of my favorite books. Hands up to the literary educated folks out there. I'm not sure how often I'll be updating, but I'm thinking about setting up a Tumblr for this story, and I'll also be able to update everyone on what's going on with the story and with me and yadayadayada. What'dya think everyone? Rate and Review xxx**


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